What many regard as the nation’s first Thanksgiving took place in December 1621 as the religious separatist Pilgrims held a three-day feast to celebrate a bountiful harvest. Harvest festivals were common and German communities had their Octoberfest.
The first official Thanksgiving was held in the Virginia Colony Dec. 4, 1619, but Texas has two claims that are earlier. In 1541 on Ascension Thursday, surrounded by friendly Teya Indians, Coronado’s expedition celebrated a Eucharistic Thanksgiving at daybreak in spectacular Palo Duro Canyon in West Texas. April 30, 1598.near El Paso, Spanish explorer Juan de Onate and his expedition celebrated their Thanksgiving.
A menu from Thanksgiving, 1942
George Washington proclaimed a Thanksgiving in Dec. 1777. The Continental Congress proclaimed annual December Thanksgivings from 1777 to 1783, except in 1782.
Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the turkey the national bird due to its abundance, beauty and the fact that you could eat it. But his bill lost by one vote. President Madison set apart a day for Thanksgiving at the close of the War of 1812.
None of these were celebrated in Autumn.
In some of the Southern States there was opposition to the observance of such a day on the grounds that it was a relic of Puritanical bigotry.
President Abraham Lincoln, proclaimed in 1863 a national Thanksgiving Day to be celebrated on the final Thursday in November.
Since 1863 Thanksgiving has been observed annually in the United States. Usually by ½ day celebration-leave at noon and come back the next day to work. Of course Southerners would not celebrate this Yankee holiday or if they did, they would celebrate on a different day or even in another month.
In 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt declared that Thanksgiving would be the next-to-the-last Thursday of November rather than the last.
With the country still in the midst of the great depression, Roosevelt thought this would give merchants a longer period to sell goods before Christmas.
While other states changed their observances to coincide with the national law, Texas remained the lone holdout, observing the last Thursday until 1956.
Texas History: Sam Houston proclaimed that March 2, 1842, Texas Independence Day, be a day of celebration of freedom and thanksgiving. Then Gov. George T. Wood proclaimed the first Thanksgiving observance in Texas for the first Thursday in December 1849. Gov. Wood was from Liberty County and was known as the barefoot governor since he did not wear socks. Texas was the first state in the South to call for a day of Thanksgiving.
Another first occurred in 1907 when Dallas-area religious and civic leaders organized an event that at the time was unheard of: a Thanksgiving celebration of all religions. An overflow crowd of Jews, Catholics and Protestants gathered downtown under a banner reading, “Have we not all one father?” This annual Thanksgiving observance continued for 50 years. The chapel at Thanksgiving Square opened in the heart of downtown Dallas in 1976 and today serves as the home of American Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving was proclaimed a state holiday in 1951 to be celebrated on the last Thursday of the month. The state finally join the union by making the 4th Thursday Thanksgiving Day in 1958; the Friday after Thanksgiving was made a state holiday in 1981.
In Texas there is a Turkey Canyon Creek, two Turkey Creek cities, 31 Turkey Creeks including one in Liberty County, a Turkey Hill Wilderness Area, Turkey Mountain, Turkey Paint Creek, Turkey Peak, Turkey Roost Creek , Turkey Track Ranch, a Turkey Trot, and only one Turkey, Texas.
Until the 1950s Thanksgiving was one of those sporadic holidays. In diaries and letters there is some mention of Thanksgiving dinners or family days of Thanksgiving in October, November, December. George Gordon mentioned in his diary that they celebrated Thanksgiving in December of 1873 with a fine meal of winter cabbage.
Many families did not eat turkey, considered a game bird, but instead had stuffed tender chicken dinners.
William B. Duncan does not mention Thanksgiving in his diaries from 1837 to 1867. However he went turkey hunting mostly in the early winter.
It was not until the turn of the century that one finds evidence of Thanksgiving celebrations in November.
The Vindicator is the best resource on this. On Nov. 20, 1896 one finds a Thanksgiving sketch and an illustration, but no mention of what happened in town. Sometimes the merchants would print a notice that they would be closed at noon due to Thanksgiving, but would reopen the next morning. In 1923 J. L. Ellis was advertising Christmas presents on Nov. 23 and the Minute Café advertised a Thanksgiving dinner Nov. 29, “We know how to cook and we know how to serve, turkey and everything to go with turkey”.
From 1918 until 1946, the biggest November holiday was Armistice Day on Nov. 11. In the early 1950s Thanksgiving became the major event and 1956 was typical. Nov. 15 Townsend’s in Liberty was advertising Christmas gifts. Some of the activities included a Nov. 4th student program to the Devers PTA whose president was Mrs. J. C. Ladd. On Nov. 8 nine Thanksgiving arrangements were displayed at the Green Thumb Garden Club meeting in the home of Mrs. W. Z. Trotti. It featured displays by Mrs. Roy Lyons, Mrs. R. A. Wilson, Mrs. W. D. Partlow, and Mrs. E. W. Mclendon.
The Liberty Kiwanis Club’s 5th Annual Turkey Shoot was held on Sunday, Nov. 25 at the Trinity Valley Exposition grounds, sponsored by the Liberty Man’s Shop, Buddy Locke chairman of the event. Nov. 12, Walker’s Drive-In opened and advertised “make thanksgiving a holiday for mother, eat at Walkers”.
Another firm on the same day, J-B Motor Co. on Highway 90, held an event called the “M Party”, while viewing the 1957 mercury, one could register for a free turkey. On Nov. 20, six classes of the San Jacinto Elementary School, fourth & fifth grades, gave a Thanksgiving play and musical program at the Sam Houston Auditorium. Mrs. H. L. Mcguire, Jr. Was PTA president and Mrs. Jane Shauberger was principal. Students dressed as Indians and Pilgrims were from Mrs. Monnie Maxwell’s room, Mrs. C. S. McManus was in charge of the music, Mrs. Obie Bell and Mrs. Paul Drawhorn were in charge of costumes, Mrs. Bobbie Shaw and Mural Carlton were in charge of sets and lights, Mrs. A. O. Sitton and Mrs. R. D. Richardson, Jr. were hostesses. Only Tony’s Food Market, located at the Hardin Road and Magnolia Street, with plenty of parking, advertised turkeys at 47 cents per pound and that they would be open on Thanksgiving Day until 1; B. M. Lafour offered beef roast at 43 cents a pound and Black Gold Stamps. On the 23rd at the city hall, the VFW hosted a Thanksgiving Dance with Houston’s Ed Sullivan Orchestra at 9 p.m. The VFW sponsored a Thanksgiving Eve Dance for a number of years. A Foley’s ad appeared promoting their 1956 ‘Big Christmas Parade’ featuring Felix the Cat. On the 27th, the Treetop Terrace Den number 5 had a Thanksgiving Program at the home of den mother Mrs. John Kep; Mrs. C. M. Willoughby read the program acted out by the Cubs Gary Willoughby, Gady Wells, John Kemp, Baxter Reinke, Ronnie Childre, Andy Davis, Freddie Reink. Then the Cubs made turkeys out of potatoes for their families.
It was not announced until Nov. 22 that the official Thanksgiving Day would be the 29th even though the nation celebrated on the 22nd. The Dorcas Class of the First Baptist Church gave a Thanksgiving basket to a needy family on Thanksgiving Day. Mrs. J. E. Sandifer, Mrs. Valry Brown, Mrs. Nannie Greak, Mrs. B. G. Dowell and Mrs. Allan Wheat participated. The Annual Thanksgiving Service in 1956 was held at the First Methodist Church, Rev. Archie Fleming presiding. Of course the big news in November 1956 had nothing to do with turkeys–It was how to use the dial telephone. Telephone subscribers had until Dec. 16 to learn how to use that dial.
In 1842, Sam Houston, President of the Texas Republic, faced threats of war, financial problems and political turmoil. Nevertheless, he proclaimed his Thanksgiving, March 2, “to render evidence of national blessings … And a profound belief in an almighty God.” This holds true for Thanksgiving in 2014.
